May 26, 2011

Shop Camp-St. Helena Island Island: Ana, Faith, and I arrived at the camp at 5:30. We began by passing out clothes that had been donated by various people in the community over the past few days. The workers were just getting pack from the tomato fields where they had been tying up plants all day, getting ready for the harvest in the next week or so. Because they plants were well over human height at this point, the men were more exhausted than usual from working all day with their arms fully extended above their heads.

The enthusiasm they had during the previous class in which they sang an animated "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" was long gone. They were more interested in drink and lighthearted conversation about the day.

Fortunately, we met the crew leader for the camp Antonio Juarez. He told us that this Saturday, we could expect 250 pickers (almost all men) to arrive. Currently, they are picking Vidalia onions in Georgia. A week later he said we could expect an additional 100 more pickers. Right now the price being paid for a basket of tomatoes is fifty cents. He talked quite awhile about the high cost of bringing his workers to the US from Mexico. He said the average cost of fees and paperwork was about $800 per worker. Also, he said that it was important to treat his workers fairly because if they returned to Mexico saying they had been "robbed" by the crew leader, then he would have trouble putting a crew together next year.

According the Antonio, his men can make more in a few months of picking in the United States than they can in a full year of work in Mexico. If we didn't have this source of cheap labor, he couldn't imagine Americans paying $8-$10 dollars a pound for tomatoes.

Paragon Camp: We arrived at about 7:00. Some of the men had gone clamming that afternoon and harvested several dozen clams that they were eating raw with Tabasco sauce and fresh lime when we pulled up. They would eat their main meal after we completed our lesson.

With Ana leading the lesson, we worked on the English alphabet. After much practice, each man was asked to spell his first and last name out loud. This skill comes in handy when ELLs (English Language Learners) are asked for information at a medical facility or at a store while filling out money transfer slips. While the sound of the numbers "fifteen" and "fifty" are almost identical to the ELLs, they quickly learn there is a difference in meaning with regard to their hard-earned money.

There was uncertainty among the crew as to when this group of workers (about 30) would be leaving for Virginia. There was discussion of some family members continuing to head northward while other members would stay behind to pick tomatoes.

Enselmo and his wife are experiencing a situation that many migrants face as well. Their youngest child was born in the United States while their oldest son, age 8, continues to live with a grandmother in Mexico. The parents have not seen their first born in three years, the last time they had enough money to return to their homeland. By continuing their migrant work, they can support their immediate family and their extended family in the Chiapas.

On the other hand, they feel that their youngest child has a greater chance of success in life if he stays in the United States, especially with regard to education. Both parents, however, live in constant fear of deportation which means that families on both sides of the "Great Wall" will suffer. Although their child here is a US citizen, he would be forced to return with his parents if they were deported. If there were an American citizen or relative who agreed to take care of the child, he could remain here. But then the heartbreak of separated family members would continue once again. It's a challenging situation.